Monday, February 29, 2016

Zucchini Masala Vadais a spicy traditional vada made with Zucchini or Summer Squash along with chana dal and other added ingredients. This recipe was in my draft for months & finally today I was able to press the publish button for this dish. As mentioned I made them long back ago for a magazine. My mom was visiting us in USA & she helped me in making this dish.

This deep-fried masala vada's are so delectable that you can never stop from munching on more of these. For a healthy version you can shallow fry or pan fry to enjoy them without any guilt. We enjoyed these masala vada's a lot & I hope you would too.

You can accompany these Zucchini masala vada's along with a cup of your favorite drink for a relaxed evening.

- Heat oil for deep-frying. Take a scoop of dal mixture
& make a patty out of it.

- Drop it slowly into oil & add in another few patties
to oil. Don't over crowd the pan. Fry them crisp on both sides. - Place them on
to a kitchen towel to remove extra oil out of them. Repeat the same with rest of the dal
mixture.

- Serve them with ketchup or with your favorite chutney.

Note

- You can shallow fry or pan fry theses vada’s. They may not
be as crisp as deep-fried one’s but tastes awesome & sure are healthy.

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Friday, May 8, 2015

Masala Corn is a tempting chaat for cold winter evenings. This is a easy & kid friendly chaat which can be made in very less time. In process of making it you can use a microwave to finish it off easily or you can also pan fry corn in making this dish. You can simply leave onions & carrots out of this dish to make it buttery sweet & flavorful. I love carrot in any chaat, so added a little more than needed. Enjoy this healthy chaat !!!

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Achari Paneer Tikka's are a delectable snack bites. The word achar means pickle & the spice mix that is used here in making these tikki's is used in most of the Indian pickles. This spice mix adds flavor to paneer when mixed in marination. While making the spice mix I fried spices a little crisp to get fine powder rather than coarse. I oven baked these tikki's, but you can also pan fry them for a quick finish. To extend this recipe you can make a creamy tikka masala using this tikka's. For now I'm sharing this tikka recipe with you all. Here is a recipe for pan-friedPaneer Tikkadish, which can also be converted as a baked dish.

Prep Time-2hrs {1hr 30mins marinating + prepping}Cook Time-20minsServes-2PeopleIngredients12 to 15 pieces of paneer2Tsp oilFor marination1/2Cup curd1/2Tsp turmeric1Tbs ginger garlic paste1Tbs corn starch1Green chili1Tsp lemon juiceSaltAchari mix1/4Tsp jeera1/4Tsp mustard seeds1/2Tsp dhaniya1Tsp fennel seeds2Red chili'sPinch of methi seeds {6 to 7 seeds}Directions - Heat pan & add achari mix ingredients to it. Briefly fry them for few seconds. Switch off heat & cool them. Grind them to smooth powder & keep aside.- In a bowl add in marination ingredients. Next add in grind achari masala powder & mix them.- Fold in paneer pieces in to marination. Close it with a lid & allow it to sit for minimum of 30mins.Baked Version- Pre-heat oven @350F & line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.- Line paneer pieces in a row & bake @350F for 10mins. Brush oil on all sides. In to the oven for another 10mins.- Paneer pieces will be lightly browned on top & all the masala will be dried up.- Remove from oven & cool them. Stovetop Version - Heat a pan & spread oil on it. - Lay few paneer bites on pan individually. Fry them till they are brown on both sides. - Repeat the same with rest of the paneer pieces. - Enjoy as they are or serve with ketchup.

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Monday, May 4, 2015

Gobi 65is a easy to make quick snack. My favorite version of 65's is Paneer 65 & always loved to order it or make it at home. This time I tried baked version of gobi 65 & interestingly it turned out to be great. As I have mentioned in my blog many times, I'm not a fan of deep-fried foods. I love shallow frying anything & everything. It kinda gives me a satisfaction that I'm taking control on what I dump in to my tummy. So with that inspiration I made Gobi 65 in both baked & shallow frying versions. I liked both the versions, but loved the shallow version as it has right amount of crispiness & oil to it. Sharing both versions of this dish here. Enjoy them as you like.

Prep Time- 45mins {30mins marinating + 15mins}Cook Time-30minsServes-2peopleIngredients30 to 40 Cauliflower florets4Tbs oil {for shallow frying}2Tsp {For baking}WaterBatter 1/2Cup corn flour2Tbs all-purpose flour2Garlic cloves grated1Tsp grated ginger1/4Tsp turmeric1Tsp red chili powder1Tsp garam masala powder2Tsp lemon juiceSalt to tasteDirectionsMarination- In a bowl take all the ingredients under batter. Add in little by little of water to make a some what thick batter. Adjust taste if needed.- Now add in florets to batter & coat them well. Allow them to sit in batter for 30mins.Baking - Pre-heat oven @350F & line a baking sheet with parchment paper.- Lay marinated florets in line on the sheet & in to the oven for 10mins.- Remove from oven & by now the batter should be dried out. Brush oil on the florets on both sides & again in to oven for 15mins.- Now you can see a nice crust on top of the florets.- Remove from oven & cool them off on counter.Shallow Frying- Heat pan with 4tbs oil. To pan add few battered florets & fry them on both sides.- Remove them on to a paper towel & repeat with rest of the florets.- Serve them with ketchup & enjoy.Note- Chili powder I use for cooking is extra hot & spicy. Adjust it in recipe as needed.- You can replace garam masala with chat masala powder.

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Kanda Poha is a traditional Maharashtrian breakfast dish. It is simple yet filling breakfast dish to start fresh mornings. While growing up my mom made this as a snack & some times she even served it for dinner too. Like my mom I make this dish for dinner as it is easy to make & also love making this dish on hot summer nights as it consumes very less time in making. This recipe can be customized according to your taste easily. The best part of this recipe is it is a microwave version & consumes less time than the stove-top method. You can also check the other recipes for Kanda Poha Maharashtrian Kanda Poha & Madhya Pradesh version of Kanda Poha by clicking the links.

Friday, May 1, 2015

Baked Green Peas is a guilt free snack & it is also a sister dish of Fried Green Peas. This fried peas are widely available in Indian stores, but the sad part is they are deep-fried with god know's what oil they have used. I'm too reluctant in buying any kind of snacks from out side & that gives me a chance to experiment these dishes at home. I made this baked green peas to make them healthy & at the end result was yummy as the deep-fried one's. Try making this guilt free snack & enjoy !!!

Prep Time-30mins {Thawing + Drying}Cook Time-30mins Serves-2peopleIngredients1/2Cup green peas 1Tsp oil Salt & chili powder for tasteDirections- If using frozen pea's then thaw them & fresh peas are the hero then cook them ahead. - Dry peas on a kitchen towel & make sure they are dry before baking them. - Pre-heat oven @400F & line a baking sheet with parchment paper. - In a bowl take peas, oil, salt & chili powder. Mix them well & make sure that peas are well coated.- Layer up the arranged baking sheet with green peas by leaving a little distance in between them.- In to the oven @400F for 30mins or until green peas are crisp.- Remove from oven & cool them on counter. Note- Store them in an airtight container.

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Thursday, April 30, 2015

Masala Vada is a popular Indian tea time snack. This vada is crisp & crunchy in texture. This is originally a deep-fried dish, but here I'm sharing a healthier baked version of this snack with out loosing the goodness of deep-fried version. This recipe can be customized easily with your choice of ingredients. Other than baking & deep-frying you can also shallow fry them with out loosing any goodness of this vada.

Prep Time-40mins {30mins of soaking + 10mins}Cook Time-30minsServes-8 to 10 vada'sIngredients1/4Cup channa dal1/4Cup toor dal2 Tsp jeera2Green chili's2Tsp grated ginger1/2Cup chopped onionsFew curry leaves1Tbs oil1Tsp chili powder1/2Tsp baking powderSalt to tasteDirections - Soak chana dal & toor dal for minimum of 30mins & maximum of 3hrs. - Pre-heat oven @350F & line up a baking sheet with parchment paper. - Strain water from dals & add them to a blender along with jeera, green chili's, ginger, curry leaves & onions finally. - Coarse grind the mixture & transfer to a bowl. Mix in salt, chili & baking powder.- Scoop up a small ball of batter & lay it on the baking sheet. Press a little to make a nice round shape as shown above. Repeat the same with rest of the batter. - Place sheet in oven & bake them for 10mins. Remove from oven brush on little oil on each side of the vada's. Back in to oven for another 15mins or less @400F. - You can see a brown crust on top & when you flip it will be light brown too. - Remove from oven & allow them to cool on the counter. - Serve warm with ketchup or any spicy chutney of your choice. Note- I changed the temp of oven as it will help in perfect baking. - You can bake @400F thru out but the bake time will be sure reduced. Keep an eye to prevent from burning vada's.- In addition to the ingredients you can add in 1Tbs of ginger garlic paste for more flavorful vada's. - Don't add extra water for grinding. We need a thick batter for crisp vada's.- You can replace curry leaves with coriander or mint leaves. It's your choice.

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Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Fried Moong Dal is an amazing tea time snack which is crunchy & addictive. I'm sharing two versions of making this snack. The actual recipe for fried moong dal requires moong dal to be deep fried in oil, but the microwavable recipe for this snack reduces the oil content in it & tastes the same as deep dried one. To keep this snack fresh & crisp store it in a air tight container & it should be good for 1week. As said this is very addictive snack & sure you will not be able to stop with little bites.

Prep Time- 30mins {minimum or overnight}Cook Time-6minsServes-2peopleIngredients1/2Cup moong dal1/2Tsp baking soda1Tsp oil1/4Tsp chili powderSoft Salt to tasteOil for deep fryingDirections- Soak moong dal along with baking soda for minimum of 30mins & maximum to overnight.- Strain water from dal & allow it dry on a towel. Dal should be dry. It will take 10mins to dry.Microwave version- In a microwave safe mix dal & oil. - Microwave it for 1mins & mix. Then microwave it for 1more minute & mix.- Repeat the same procedure for another 4 more minutes. If you see any lumps break them while shuffling the dal.- You can see a fried moong dal which is fried & crisp.- Mix in salt & chili powder. Enjoy this snack as it is.Deep Frying Version - Heat oil for deep frying. Mean while arrange a plate with paper towels.- Dal should be dry with no drops of water left to it. Once oil is hot add little by little of dal to pan & fry them to puffed shape. - Dal doesn't have to turn brown in color. It should be puffed & you are ready to remove it on to the paper lined plate. - Repeat the same with rest of the dal.- Transfer the fried dal to a bowl. To that add in salt & chili powder. Mix it well & enjoy the snack.Note- For every 1min mix the dal to fry it evenly.- Add a 1/4 tsp of chat masala to flavor it up.- Make sure dal is dry before deep frying it.*** Pictures represent the microwavable version.

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Thursday, April 23, 2015

Samosa is a popular and favorite snack of India. This snack is originated from central asia, with a presence world wide. This snack is available as deep fried one in the markets but to make it healthy you can bake it too. So here I'm sharing both ways (deep-fried & baked) of making this dish with my one of my favorite fillings. You can make the layer from scratch or can use store bought wonton wraps to make this snack.I'm not so crazy about these store bought samosa's with the traditional filling, but my favorite one's & those I go crazy for are sold in trains. Yes...I know they aren't made in hygienic conditions & the oil used has no words to explain. They are small in size & the onion filling makes them so tasty.Filling is the main part of samosa. The classic filling in samosa is made of onions, potatoes & peas. You can play with fillings of your choice & can enjoy this snack. I used onion poha filling in this recipe as it is one my favorites & also a yummy filling.

Making the outer layer- Mix ingredients under out layer by adding little water at a time & form a smooth dough.- Cover dough with a wet cloth & allow it to sit for 15mins before making roti's.- Divide dough in to 6 equal balls. Dust the base where you are rolling the roti with little flour.- Roll a thin roti out of the dough as seen above & keep aside. Repeat the same with rest of the dough balls.- Heat a wide pan & allow it to get hot. Now lay a roti on hot pan & cook on both sides till the wetness disappears as seen above.- Remove from pan & repeat the same with rest of the roti's.Flour paste- Mix flour & water to form a smooth paste.Making Samosa- Cut roti's into half as seen above. Layer the flour paste to the straight line of roti & fold it to cone shape. Press the edges a little to make sure they are stuck together.- Now place spoon full of stuffing it to the pocket & stick the edges using flour paste. Now samosa is ready to be fried or baked. Repeat the same with rest of the stuffing & cut roti's.For Baking - Pre-heat oven @400F & line up a baking sheet with parchment paper.- Arrange samosa's on the baking sheet with a little gap in between & brush them with little oil on both sides.- Bake them @400F for 15mins & by now they should be mildly brown in color. Flip samosa's to other sideBake them for another 10 to 15mins. You can see a brown crust on top of samosa.- Remove them from oven & cool them on counter.

Deep Frying - Heat oil for deep frying. Add in uncooked samosa's to pan & fry them on medium to low heat till they are nice & brown in color. You can fry couple of samosa's or more at a time depending on the pan size.- Remove them onto a paper towel once they are golden in color on both sides. -Serve them hot as they are or along with green chutney or ketchup.Note- You can use your favorite filling instead of the one shared here.- Brush a generous amount of oil on both sides of samosa's before baking them. This will give you crisp samosa's when you bake.- Baked samosa's are crunchy when they are warm & are less crunchier after 1hr.

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Monday, April 6, 2015

Cabbage Fritters are deliciously healthy snacking option for all. These fritters or pakoras don't have a texture of your usual deep fried pakoras which are very crunchy to bite inside out, but these have a perfect crisp on top & are soft from inside. apart from besan, cabbage also gets a nice crispy texture & they are perfect for tea time snack to time pass bites. They are a guilt free snack you can enjoy when ever you want. Give them a try & indulge in these healthy version of pakoras.

Prep Time:10mins Cook time-20mins Serves-3peopleIngredients 1Cup shredded cabbage 1/2Cup besan/chickpea flour2Tbs rice flour 1Tsp chili powder 1Tsp minced garlic paste 1Tsp garam masala powder Few chopped coriander leaves1/4Tsp turmeric {Optional}1Tbs lemon juice2Tbs oil4Tbs water{Adjust as needed}Salt as neededDirections - Preheat oven @350 degrees & line up a cookie sheet with parchment paper.- In a bowl add chickpea & rice flour. Next add in chili powder, garlic paste, garam masala powder, turmeric,oil salt & lemon juice. - Mix the ingredients & then add in cabbage. The mixture looks crumbly now. Then add in little by little water to make a thick batter. Adjust salt if needed. - Now take a scoop of batter & lay it on the parchment sheet. Repeat the same with rest of the batter leaving space in between. brush with little oil.- Bake them for 15 to 20mins @400 degrees. They will be crisp on top & soft inside. - Remove them from oven & serve with a chutney or ketchup. Note- Water quantity might seem very little. But it is just sufficient to make a thick batter. If you feel it's need then add another 1tbs water & it is perfect.

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